


The Glass Slipper

by syzygy_mellifluous



Series: New Dream Appreciation Week [3]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/M, cinderella!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:28:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24273568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/syzygy_mellifluous/pseuds/syzygy_mellifluous
Summary: Rapunzel is stuck living a miserable life with her stepmother and stepsister. Her Fairy Godmother grants her wish to go to the ball, and once there, she meets a handsome stranger who may help change her life.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Series: New Dream Appreciation Week [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1749514
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	The Glass Slipper

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is my contribution for Day 3 of New Dream Appreciation Week - Fairytale Swap! I decided to make a Cinderella!AU. Interesting story about me: even though I grew up loving Disney, the only princess movie I saw as a child was Cinderella because I was afraid of the villains, and for obvious reasons, Cinderella was my favorite princess. By the time Tangled came out, I wasn’t really into Disney movies and I didn’t see it until a few years later. When I finally did see it, I fell in love and Rapunzel immediately became my favorite princess! So, this AU is a “full circle” type of thing for me lol. (Also, you can assume that the stepmother is Gothel and the stepsister is Cass even though they’re not mentioned by name). I’m not sure how I feel about it and I hope it doesn’t seem out of character or anything. Enjoy!

_They danced and danced until the clock struck midnight, and then she was gone, out of his arms. Running away, yelling an apology over her shoulder. He chased her once he realized what was happening, but she was too fast. In the blink of an eye, she’d jumped into a carriage and was being driven off before he could so even ask her name. How foolish he was, to have not asked it earlier in the evening. All she’d left behind was a single shoe, and he hoped that it would be the key to finding her again._

* * *

She wasn’t supposed to have gone to the ball. Her stepmother had forbade it; she didn’t have a chance with the Prince, so why bother? She was to stay at home and clean the house, while her stepmother and stepsister attended the ball. She knew her stepsister wasn’t interested in going and was the only person who was somewhat sympathetic to Rapunzel’s plight, but even she didn’t argue with her mother. 

When they had left earlier in the evening, and Rapunzel was alone, she broke down, wishing her life was different. She ran out to their garden, sat down on a bench and cried until she couldn’t breathe. The only friend she had was her chameleon, Pascal, and he sat on her shoulder, offering her a slight sense of comfort. And then her life changed.

“What’s wrong, child?” A sympathetic voice had asked.

She looked up to see who had spoken, and to her surprise, a woman was standing before her. She sniffled, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand. “I hate my life.”

The woman reached out to her and brushed the tears away from her cheeks. “Why is that?”

“My stepmother treats me poorly. She treats me like a slave instead of treating me like a daughter. I wanted to go to the ball tonight, but she forbade me from going.”

“Can I help?”

Rapunzel shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

The woman smiled. “I don’t think you know who I am, Rapunzel.”

She furrowed her eyebrows. “Who are you? And how do you know my name?”

“I’m your fairy godmother,” the woman explained. “And I’m here to help you get to the ball tonight. Your stepmother is a wretched woman and you deserve a chance at finding happiness.”

“I can’t go to the ball, though. I don’t have a dress, or a way there, or anything.”

“That’s why I’m here, darling - I’m going to help you get to the ball tonight,” Fairy Godmother said, reaching into the sleeve of her robe and pulling out a wand. “Now, when I wave my magic wand, all of your troubles will disappear for a while. You’ll go to the ball, and dance, and have fun but there is a condition.”

“Yes?” Rapunzel asked eagerly. 

“When the clock strikes twelve, the spell will end. Everything will go back to the way it was and it will be up to _you_ to change your life.”

“I can’t do that,” she answered, shaking her head. “You don’t understand, my stepmother -”

“Uh-uh,” Fairy Godmother interrupted, wagging her finger. She pointed at Rapunzel, gradually getting closer to her. “ _You_ and _you alone_ have the power to change your life. I’m here to give you a head start.”

Before Rapunzel could answer her, she waved her magic wand and things began to change before Rapunzel’s eyes.

Suddenly, her old, ragged dress had been transformed into a poofy, purple ball gown. The ratty flats she wore had turned into a pair of glass slippers, and Pascal had turned from a chameleon into a footman. Fairy Godmother continued to point her magic wand at other objects surrounding them, turning the field mice into horses, and a pumpkin into a carriage. 

“There!” She exclaimed, once she had finished. “Now you can go to the ball!”

“Thank you,” Rapunzel gushed, a new set of tears pooling in her eyes. “How can I ever repay you?”

Fairy Godmother waved a dismissive hand. “You don’t owe me anything. Now, go on and enjoy the party. And don’t forget, the spell ends at midnight!” 

Rapunzel rushed forward to throw her arms around Fairy Godmother and pull her into a hug, but she had disappeared as quickly as she arrived. Taking a deep breath, she leapt into the carriage and set off for the ball. 

She had only ever seen the castle from a distance, and upon arriving, was surprised at the sheer size of it. She felt tiny next to it, and stared at it for a moment or two before gathering the dress in her hands and walking up the staircase that led inside. The doors were promptly opened for her by two uniformed men and she shyly walked into the vast room. She followed the sound of music and chatter to the ballroom, and was delighted at the sight. There had to be at least several hundred people there; dancing and laughing. Though she had already been smiling, her grin grew even wider at the sight of all of the people. She shyly ventured inward, trying to avoid bumping into anyone. 

She eagerly tried to take in every sight and smell and feeling. It was all so new and wonderful and magical. She glanced toward the far end of the room, where the thrones sat, but both chairs were unoccupied. She had never seen any member of the royal family before and had felt the slightest bit of disappointment before a tap on her shoulder brought her back to reality. She turned around and was greeted by the most attractive man she had ever seen in her life.

“Would you care to dance?” He asked, holding out his hand.

She nodded, and took his hand in her own. He led her to the center of the dance floor and they waltzed around the ballroom. The rest of the room blurred around her, as her sole focus was on the man whom she was dancing with. His eyes, brown and inviting, never left her face. She lost track of time as she studied his face, and the two hardly spoke to one another. But there was certainly some type of connection between the two, as they were unable to look anywhere but at each other.

After several hours of dancing, he took her by the arm and led her outside to the garden behind the castle. She was enthralled by him; she knew nothing about him, yet she never wanted to leave his side. 

“Are you having fun tonight?” He asked, as they walked arm in arm. 

“Oh, yes,” she nodded eagerly. “It’s more wonderful than I ever could’ve imagined.”

“Have you never been to a ball before?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “This is my first. Have you been?”

He chuckled. “Yes, I’ve been to _quite_ a few.”

“I’m envious,” she smiled. “It’s all so...magical. I wish I could relive this day over and over again.”

He stopped walking then and dropped her arm. Confused, she turned to face him and saw that he was staring intently at her. Gradually, he moved to close the distance between them, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. Her breath hitched in her throat as he leaned in toward her, and she closed her eyes, feeling his breath on her skin. Her heart pounded in her ears as she eagerly awaited his lips to meet hers, but it all came to a crashing halt; in the distance, she could hear the chime of the clock, ringing out the start of a new day. 

“It’s midnight,” she whispered, stepping away from him.

“Is something wrong?” He asked, frowning. 

“I’m sorry, I have to leave,” she explained, as she gathered her skirts in her hands and began to run back towards the castle.

“Wait!” He yelled. “Please stop!”

“I’m sorry,” she called over her shoulder. “I can’t stay.”

She raced through the crowds of people, trying to get out of everyone’s view before the spell wore off. She could hear him calling her and begging her to stop, but she knew she couldn’t. When she finally made it to the stairs, she saw her carriage and Pascal awaiting her arrival. Halfway down, one of her shoes fell off and she attempted to turn back and grab it, but he had already made it to the top of the stairs and she couldn’t let him see her when the spell broke. So she left it, and descended down the rest of the stairs before jumping into the carriage and taking off into the night. Luckily, the spell didn’t wear off until she was a safe distance from the castle. 

The carriage turned back into a pumpkin, the horses turned back into mice, and Pascal turned back into a chameleon. Her ballgown disappeared and the ragged dress she was wearing earlier had reappeared. The only thing that didn’t disappear as the spell broke was the singular glass slipper she had. Sighing, she slipped her foot out of it, picked it up, and made her way home.

* * *

The following day, she set out to do her chores as usual, humming the tune of one of the songs that she had danced to the previous night. Her stepmother lurked in the distance, watching her every move as if she was doing something wrong. She had heard chatter that the Prince was in search of a woman he’d danced with at the ball, but she didn’t know many other details. She didn’t even know what the Prince looked like, as she was more concerned with her gorgeous mystery man. She felt bad that she didn’t get a chance to say goodbye, or even ask his name. But, she had to go on. Her stepmother would be mad if she sat around and daydreamed all day.

When she had finally finished, she retreated to her bedroom in the tower of the house. She flopped backwards onto her bed, her legs dangling off the edge.

“Finished your chores?” Her stepmother asked, which caused her to startled.

Rapunzel sat up. “Yes, they’re finished.”

“Wonderful,” she smiled, but there was something sinister about it. “I heard you humming something earlier - it sounded awfully familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Where did you learn it?”

“Oh!” She exclaimed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She knew that her stepmother was onto her. “I don’t know, really. Maybe from one of the gardeners?”

Her stepmother narrowed her eyes at her. “I don’t appreciate liars, Rapunzel.”

She shook her head fervently. “I’m not lying, I swear.”

“I know that you went to the ball last night, after I expressly forbade it. And I know that you danced with the Prince for the entire evening,” she spat.

Rapunzel furrowed her eyebrows. “The Prince?” 

“Don’t play stupid, Rapunzel!” She boomed. “You know exactly what you did, and now you will pay the price. The Prince is looking for the maiden that he danced with, but he will _never_ find you.”

She spun around and slammed the door closed behind her, the lock clicking a second later. Rapunzel jumped off the bed and ran to the door, twisting the handle to no avail. She was trapped.

Suddenly all the little pieces started to add up. She didn’t see the Prince the entire time she was at the ball, and the handsome stranger mentioned going to such parties frequently. She hadn’t even realized that she was dancing with the Prince for the entire night until now. And, he was out there somewhere, looking for her. But, he wouldn’t find her - she was locked away in the tower and her stepmother would ensure that she would stay there until the Prince was long gone. She collapsed to the floor as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

_It just wasn’t fair_. How could her stepmother be so cruel to her? There was someone out there, looking for her, and her stepmother had all but guaranteed that she’d never see him again. She sobbed uncontrollably until she heard distinct talking beneath her. It was faint, but she could make out the hint of a man’s voice, in addition to that of her stepmother and stepsister when she held her breath. She heard the word ‘shoe’ for sure, and remembered that she had the other one. She jumped up and shoved it into the pocket of her apron. All she had to do was get downstairs and show him, and she’d be free, forever. 

“Pascal,” she whispered, looking around the room for her trusty friend. “Pascal?”

He didn’t emerge when she called and she suddenly felt defeated. If there was anyone who would get her out, it would be Pascal, and he was nowhere to be found. She flopped backwards onto the bed, tears pooling in her eyes once more. The Prince was never going to find her.

Then, she heard the doorknob jiggling. She sat up slowly, wondering if it was her stepmother coming to rub salt in the wound. Instead, the lock clicked, and the door opened a crack. She raced to the door, and saw that Pascal had helped her, indeed. He was just a few steps ahead of her; he’d managed to get the key from her stepmother and set her free. She didn’t even have time to thank him before she barreled down the stairs.

“Wait!” She called. “Please wait!”

An unfamiliar voice spoke. “There’s another maiden here?” 

She rounded the corner and reached the sitting room. Her stepmother and stepsister sat upon the couch, and her stepmother was very clearly enraged. 

“Would you like to try on the slipper?” The stranger asked; it was clear that he was a footman for the royal family.

“Yes, please,” she begged, sitting down on a chair. As he crossed the room toward her, shoe in hand, she saw her stepmother reach her foot out and trip him. The glass instantly shattered as it made contact with the floor.

He looked up at her with sad eyes. “I’m sorry, young lady. The slipper is broken, and now we have no way to know who it belonged to.”

“But I have the other one,” she explained, reaching into her pocket and pulling the shoe out.

The footman gasped and eagerly reached for the shoe, while her stepmother glowered in the background. He slipped it onto her foot, and to no one’s surprise, it fit perfectly.

“Oh, the Prince is going to be delighted!” The footman exclaimed excitedly. “He’s had us searching every town in the kingdom looking for you! You’ll have to come with us at once, he’s waiting outside.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” she beamed, shaking with excitement. She stood up and followed the footman outside, and sure enough, the Prince was standing outside by his carriage. 

“It’s you!” The Prince squealed, as she emerged through the door. “I was afraid I would never see you again!”

She raced toward him and ran right into his arms. “I’m sorry I left so hastily - it’s a long story.”

He chuckled as he instinctively wrapped his arms around her. “We have plenty of time. I’m just so glad I found you.”

“Me too,” she nodded against him. 

He pushed her away slightly so he could look at her face, resting his hands on her shoulders. “I didn’t even ask for your name.”

“I didn’t even know you were a Prince,” she smiled. “I’m Rapunzel.”

“I’m Eugene,” he grinned. “Now let’s get out of here - we have a lot of catching up to do.”


End file.
